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Hi. We are a design/style LA based company specializing in mixing eclectic styles on moderate budgets. Also we have a strange amount of fun blogging about all our design and style adventures. Right now I’m happy to say that I’m Target’s home spokesperson, bringing accessible/stylish design to the masses.

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Current state of the dining room? Not awesome. I painted most of my house before we moved in. So in one hour I had to choose five room colors, and inevitably one of them will not be right. Case in point, my dining room:

(And no, I didn’t style it like that on purpose. Just a pic from a few weeks ago that happened to have an unattractive collection of bowls on the table.)

It’s not the worst green, in fact I actually like it, but it’s just not working for me. In this picture, it looks way more saturated (which would be ideal), but in person it’s more like this:

See? Fine, but not a sexy forest green or a bright kelly green, more in between green. I realized about two years ago that I’m not really an “in between” color girl. I love saturated colors. I love gray soooo much … for other people. I love taupe on other peoples walls, but I love bright white or dark navy or hot pink or kelly green or sunshine yellow for me.

The reason why might be because the more contrast you have in a room, the more energy you get. And I like me some really high energy rooms. I love white, washed out, neutral, swedish rooms in magazines and on Pinterest, but not for me. I wear crazy clothes, I say crazy things, I want my rooms to look crazy.

Poor Brian.

So the dining room is sad. Here she is again:

Dining table: I bought it four years ago on Craigslist and stripped it myself, so now it’s just raw wood. I don’t love it for me, but it is very practical because it can fit up to 12 people with the leaves. And it has integrity — just old pretty wood. But I’m over it and it’s now going to be our outdoor dining table, the one that you don’t care about if it gets more “aged” every summer and winter.

The chairs: I love these mid-century woven chairs. I got them at the Rose Bowl three years ago for $200 for all four. I think I’ll hoard them for a while, but these guys (below) came into my life recently, and after a jealous (and frankly flattering) battle over me, the navy blue/chrome ’70s chairs have won.

The biggest regret in my life is that there aren’t six of these. When are they going to invent the furniture copying machine, eh? Somebody has to be on that.

The built ins: Cute, but those knobs have to change. Right now, they are super cheap chrome knobs and I want it to be brushed brass, naturally.

The floor: When we toured the house looking to RENT, this was the thing that I kinda put blinders on for. It’s bad. Really bad. I’m currently searching for inexpensive ways to update it. Again, it’s a rental and I don’t want to throw $2, 000 into the flooring. So I’m thinking Ikea, Tundra flooring. I calculated it and it would cost around $300 for the kitchen and dining room, which seems totally reasonable to me for a two-year rental.

I wish it was darker, but for now it might due. I’m also looking in to a simple solid linoleum that will be unoffensive. Could be cheaper …

So everything is going to change, basically. The walls are going a deep navy. You heard me, maybe just on top, but I want a navy dining room, always have. And the drapery? Kelly green …

Of course my first instinct was hot pink, hello.

I mean, that color palette is kinda my favorite. But I’m trying to branch out.

So then I thought, why not embrace the color of the season, persimmon:

The reason these two work so well together is that they are almost completely opposite on the color wheel — one is very cool (navy) and the other very warm (orange/persimmon) so therefore they want to be best friends.

Opposites attract. Like Rachel and Michael:

Man. She can do no wrong in my book. I don’t know who this fool is. He could be Ed Hardy himself and I would still be like, “Oh Rachel, you are just wonderful.”

But I don’t really love that orange color for me, so I had my friend Megs do a moodboard with my new ideas:

I’m trying to figure out what king chairs will look good with my four navy chairs, and for now I’m thinking these lucite guys. Maybe a pattern on the seat? Maybe that’s where I bring in hot pink? Dunno.

I found that table online and I’m sure it’s nine million dollars, but I would love a lucite based wood top dining table. I’m pretty sure I’m going to design it and have it made — and then reproduced once people freak out about it.

I can’t tell if I’m over the metallic hides, but it seemed a bit more glam than a regular one, and I love a hide under a dining table since they are virtually indestructable.

I’m still up in the air on a lot of it, but making the mood board helps for sure …

Hello!

Emily is a stylist, author and T.V. host with a strong commitment to vintage inspired approachable home style for every single person. Perfection is boring; Let’s get weird. learn more

Interior Design Blog by Emily Henderson

I started this interior design blog in 2010 as a journal of my style and home projects with the belief that design should be approachable, informational and accessible no matter what budget.

As a home style expert who has a strong commitment to peeling back the intimidating layers of the world of home decor, and showing how every person can have a beautiful home that represents their personality, no matter what the budget.

After styling for magazines and catalogues for years, I started my own interior design blog, won HGTV Design Star, and have gone on to host my own hit TV show Secrets from a Stylist, Author the book STYLED, and create the design firm Emily Henderson Design.

My motto has always been to write and publish on my blog what I personally want to read about.